


you're making me hallucinate (i'm making you levitate)

by beta_babelfish



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, M/M, Morosexuality: The Fic, Quidditch Captains AU, Quidditch Rivalry, idiots to lovers, kihyun is the dumbest ravenclaw that has ever lived, kihyun's competetive streak is a mile wide, listen i can't help it they're so dumb!!!!, mild idiocy-inflicted angst, minhyuk is doing his best but his best is...........you know, minhyuk makes poor life choices
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2019-09-21
Packaged: 2020-10-19 01:11:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20648768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beta_babelfish/pseuds/beta_babelfish
Summary: “I’m beginning to suspect you’re messing with me.” Minhyuk says, drawing himself up to his full height. “That’s not why I’m here, though. I’d like to make a bet.”“A bet,” Kihyun says simply, eyebrows shooting upward.“Yes, a bet,” Minhyuk says, waving his hand in what was probably meant to be something resembling bravado. “A bet that, if Slytherin wins the house cup, you have to go on a date with me.”Next to him, Yoongi chokes on air. Kihyun’s eyebrows are attempting to make a break for the ceiling. “And if you lose?” he says, after what has been too long of a pause.Minhyuk juts his chin out. “Slytherin won’t lose.”





	you're making me hallucinate (i'm making you levitate)

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Hogwarts AU where Person A and Person B are the captains of rival Quidditch teams.  
I hope I could do this something resembling justice - the end is a little rushed because life hit me like a freight train and I didn't have as much time to flesh everything out as I hoped, so sorry about that!
> 
> Title from Go For It by CRUISR

The moment Kihyun sets foot in the Great Hall, he takes a deep, deep breath and lets a slow smile stretch across his face.

He’s  _ home. _ And this is going to be his year, and nobody was going to be able to stop him.

His shiny new badges - Prefect  _ and _ Quidditch Captain - glint in the candlelight as he strides down the aisle between the tables, dodging fellow students as they loudly chat about their summers. He’s puffing his chest out, he realizes belatedly, but immediately decides that he doesn’t care. He’s worked his ass off for these badges, and he’s going to wear them with pride, and nobody can stop him. 

Fifth year. He’s going to die, probably, preparing for OWLs and trying to keep the rowdy first years in line, but it is absolutely going to be worth it.

“Summer go well, then?” His close friend, Yoongi, asks as soon as Kihyun takes his place at the Ravenclaw table. He raises his eyebrows as soon as he sees the badges on Kihyun’s robes. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Fantastic,” Kihyun says brightly, leaning forward. “I’ve been drawing up strategies for training, and have them in alphabetical order based on who gets the empty Beater spot and their strengths and weaknesses.”

“Bet it’ll be Changkyun,” Yoongi says, jerking his thumb further down the hall. Kihyun follows his gaze towards the third year in question - currently hovering over the Hufflepuff table and gesturing wildly as he recounts some story to his best friend, Jooheon.

Kihyun snorts and turns back. “I’m not going to be biased.” 

“Doesn’t matter, the kid’s been begging to be on the team since first year. He’s been practicing like crazy. I’ll bet Jooheon ends up on the Hufflepuff team, too.”

“I’m not going to be biased,” Kihyun repeats, but allows a small smile to break across his face as Changkyun catches his eye and waves enthusiastically. “But I’ll admit, he’s first on the list of most likely to get it.”

Yoongi shakes his head, a small smile quirking his lips.

Within moments, the Hall’s doors burst open and this year’s new stock of first years shuffle in, staring in awe at the floating candles, the enchanted ceiling, and the four long tables where the rest of them are sitting. Kihyun cranes his neck, and in the process catches the eye of Hyunwoo, the Gryffindor Head Boy, who gives him a small wave. 

“Who’s the other new Prefects, by the way?” Yoongi says once the first years are all sorted. Kihyun has been eyeing the batch of freshly minted Ravenclaws huddling down at one end of the table and starts when Yoongi speaks, then clears his throat.

“Minji got the spot in Hufflepuff, to nobody’s surprise.” Kihyun begins, inclining his head at the girl in question. “And Chae Hyungwon got chosen as Slytherin Prefect,  _ somehow, _ I have no idea why-”

“Slytherin’s got a new Quidditch Captain too, don’t they?” Yoongi says, already stuffing his face with the freshly materialized feast before them. 

“I think you’re right, actually,” Kihyun says, frowning. “I’m not sure who it is, though. Maybe-”

“It’s me.”

Kihyun definitely does not let out a startled yelp when the voice materializes behind him. He whips around ready to tell off whoever this person thinks he is-

-and comes face to face with Lee Minhyuk, with an exasperated Hyungwon trailing behind.

Despite being in the same year (and having a birthday in the same month, apparently - Kihyun’s not sure how he came to know that tidbit, but he does), Kihyun’s interactions with Minhyuk extended only to the occasional class together and seeing him around in the halls. He was vaguely aware that he was on the Slytherin Quidditch team, of course - but beyond that, Kihyun was honestly unable to remember all that much about him.

What he did remember, though.....he was beginning to question the judgement of whoever it was that assigned Minhyuk with the title of “Captain.”

Minhyuk gives him a cocky grin, or at least what was probably supposed to be a cocky grin but actually turns out to be a wide, delighted smile. “Surprise!”

Kihyun frowns and squints at him. “You’re the Beater, right?”

Minhyuk’s mouth falls open in shock as the cocky expression morphs into a wounded one. “I’m the  _ Chaser, _ same as you, _ _ how could you - we’ve been playing against each other for  _ years- _ ”

“Not ringing a bell,” Kihyun says, who definitely knew that already and is struggling to keep a straight face. He can hear Yoongi holding back snickers behind him. “Did you need something,” his eyes flicker down to the badge on Minhyuk’s chest, identical to the one on his own, “Captain?”

Minhyuk stares at him with narrowed eyes as Hyungwon groans buries his face into his hands behind him. Kihyun suspects that Hyungwon was dragged into this against his will - granted, most anything that wasn’t napping seemed to be against Hyungwon’s will, making it all the more baffling that he’d been chosen as the new Slytherin Prefect. 

Kihyun was beginning to suspect that whoever supervised these things in Slytherin House may have been hitting the firewhisky a bit too hard, but that’s neither here nor there. 

“I’m beginning to suspect you’re messing with me.” Minhyuk says, drawing himself up to his full height. “That’s not why I’m here, though. I’d like to make a bet.”

“A bet,” Kihyun says simply, eyebrows shooting upward.

“Yes, a bet,” Minhyuk says, waving his hand in what was probably meant to be something resembling bravado. “A bet that, if Slytherin wins the house cup, you have to go on a date with me.”

Next to him, Yoongi chokes on air. Kihyun’s eyebrows are attempting to make a break for the ceiling. “And if you lose?” he says, after what has been too long of a pause.

Minhyuk juts his chin out. “Slytherin won’t lose.”

Kihyun carefully turns all the way around and stands, not breaking eye contact. “You didn’t answer my question,” he says, “What happens if you lose?”

Something in Minhyuk’s eyes changes as the smile falters, but he stubbornly persists and says, “Well, that’ll be up to you to decide, won’t it?”

Kihyun feels the fire of his competitive side beginning to take over as he lets a broad grin stretch over his face. “So what you’re saying is that you’re giving me the majority of this year to think up the worst punishment possible?”

“Sounds kinky,” Minhyuk says, and beside him Hyungwon lets out a groan and lets his face fall into his hands.

Kihyun frowns at that, giving Minhyuk an annoyed look. “All I’m hearing are all the more reasons that Ravenclaw is going to win this year.” He turns, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to alert the Ravenclaw team that tryouts and our first practice has been moved to tomorrow. I'll see you around."

With that, he strides out of the Great Hall, leaving a baffled Yoongi in his wake.

* * *

The Quidditch tryouts go about as expected - Changkyun, with dogged determination, manages to win a place as a Beater, with a second year named Anne claiming a place as a new Chaser. 

Kihyun wastes no time in informing them that there has been a bet made against their team, and that they will be doing their utmost to win the House Cup this year. It’s a rousing speech, if he says so himself, and the teammates seem appropriately enthusiastic as they cheer.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spots a flash of blond hair and glances over to see a suspiciously familiar figure hurrying back to the castle.

Kihyun narrows his eyes. “Right!” he says, turning back to the team. “No better time to start than the present. Ten laps around the pitch, then we’ll start with the training exercises.”

By the end of practice, the cheers were significantly less enthusiastic. Kihyun’s determination, on the other hand, never once wavers.

* * *

The next morning, Kihyun gets an owl.

Hoseok’s owl, specifically. She swoops in and drops the small scroll neatly next to his porridge, then stands there expectantly until Kihyun obliges her with coos and scratches before she ruffles her feathers and flies off.

_ Congrats on becoming a Prefect!, _ the scroll reads.  _ I always knew you had it in you. B&B sessions start on Wednesday at 11pm sharp at the top of the Astronomy tower. We’ll provide the B's - our treat! -  _ _ _ Hoseok _ _

Kihyun can’t help but be delighted. Butterbeer & Bitch - B&B for short - is one of the things he'd been looking forward to most with his new Prefect privileges. It wasn't an _official_ part of being a Prefect, of course - it was actually just something that his friends Hoseok and Hyunwoo had started when being a Prefect brought on a little bit too much stress. 

It's been hardly a full week of being a Prefect, and Kihyun, frazzled and stressed, already understands why the tradition began. Sometimes, even Hogwarts Prefects need a night to sit down, relax, and get absolutely shitfaced while complaining about their charges.

Gryffindors may have a reputation for getting into trouble, but Ravenclaws had just as much of a knack for getting into trouble. The problem was that they were better at getting away with it.

So when Wednesday rolls around, he all but sprints to the Astronomy Tower after informing Miya, the other Ravenclaw Prefect, that he's taking the night off.

When he pushes the door open, Hoseok spots him immediately and waves him over. “You made it!” 

“Of course I did,” Kihyun says, smiling and taking a seat on the floor next to him. “I wouldn’t miss Butterbeer and Bitch for the world.”

Hoseok laughs and hands him a Butterbeer, raising it in a small toast.

“Congrats on becoming Head Boy, by the way,” Kihyun says, inclining his freshly acquired Butterbeer in Hyunwoo’s direction. “Not that we’re surprised, of course, but it’s great to see your leadership recognized nonetheless.”

“You don’t need to congratulate me, I’m still not entirely sure why I was picked.” Hyunwoo says, but smiles nonetheless. “And the same could be said about you becoming a Prefect. How’s that going for you, by the way?”

“Did you know that Ravenclaws are terrible?” Kihyun says darkly. “Because they’re terrible. The first years are entirely too smart for their own good and I’m pretty sure at least three of them are planning on pranking Filch by the end of the week.”

“Do you have proof?” Hyunwoo asks, a twinkle in his eye.

“I have ears, Hyunwoo,” Kihyun grumbles as he takes a swig. “And I can see the books they check out from the library. Anyone who gets their hands on a copy of  _ The New and Improved Prankster’s Guide to Mischief and Wrongdoing _ is up to no good.”

“And how’s being Quidditch Captain going for you?” Hoseok butts in, eyes wide with false innocence. “I heard that you got an interesting challenge from-”

At that moment, the door to the tower creaks open, causing Hoseok to pause and look up before his face lights up in a bright grin. “Hyungwon!”

“I can see you lot decided to get started without me,” Hyungwon grumbles. The Slytherin prefect slinks into the room, looking as if all he ever wants in life is a long, long nap. He plops himself down next to Kihyun and holds both his hands out to Hyunwoo like some sort of lanky infant. “Gimme.”

“I still can’t believe they made you a Prefect,” Kihyun says, watching as Hyungwon immediately chugs half the bottle.

“You and me both, Ravenclaw.” Hyungwon mutters, giving him a  _ look. _ “First year Slytherins are hell. Hell on Earth. If I could shove the badge onto someone else’s robes and let them take over for me, I would do it.”

Before Kihyun can say anything in response, Hoseok leans forward with a bright twinkle in his eye, determined to steer the conversation directly back to where it was before. “So is it true that Minhyuk-”

“Do  _ not _ talk to me about Minhyuk right now.” Hyungwon groans.

“Actually, I’d very much like to talk to you about Minhyuk right now.” Kihyun says, narrowing his eyes. “More specifically, what the  _ hell _ is he on about with that bet?”

Hyungwon lets his head hang between his knees for a long, long minute before he tips his head back and downs the rest of the Butterbeer in one go. “He’s an idiot,” he says simply.

“Yeah, I got that.”

“I mean he’s an  _ idiot,” _ Hyungwon says, gesturing vaguely with his hand. “He’s, he’s,  _ god _ I told him that fucking bet was a terrible idea-”

“Get him to call it off, then.” Kihyun says bluntly.

“Have  _ you _ ever tried to get Minhyuk off of an idea once he’s got it in his head?” Hyungwon says, narrowing his eyes and jabbing a finger at Kihyun. “It’s impossible. The only way to shut him up is to endure it until he gets tired of the idea and drops it himself. Good fuckin luck with that, my friend.”

“We’re not friends,” Kihyun says automatically. Hyunwoo and Hoseok are watching the exchange with barely disguised delight and interest.

“So it’s true, then?” Hoseok presses. “That Minhyuk said that if Slytherin wins, you have to go on a date with him?”

_ “Yes.”  _ Kihyun grumbles. “Bastard.”

“Is it that terrible of an idea, though?” Hyunwoo asks, looking at Kihyun thoughtfully. “It’s just one date, and you can just dump him afterwards if you’re that against it. Besides, Minhyuk’s not  _ that  _ bad of a guy.”

“It absolutely is a terrible idea.” Kihyun snaps. “He’s loud, he’s obnoxious, and this is clearly some sort of joke that he’s trying to pull on me. He’ll make me the laughingstock of the school.”

Hyungwon and Hoseok exchange a  _ look _ and Kihyun can’t find it in himself to be bothered to wonder what it means as he continues, “Besides, he issued a challenge and now he has to deal with the consequences. Ravenclaw will win. Mark my words.”

“I’ll admit, this entire thing was very poorly planned on Minhyuk’s part,” Hyungwon drawls, “By the way, what do you plan to make him do if you win? Just curious.”

Kihyun opens his mouth, then closes it again, furrowing his brows. “I haven’t really thought that far ahead.”

“You’ve got the entire year to think it out,” Hoseok says helpfully. “And I don’t think it’s meant to be a joke. Minhyuk doesn’t seem the type.”

Kihyun frowns at him. “If it’s not a joke, then what else would  _ possibly  _ be?”

Hyungwon lets out an loud groan and gestures vaguely for more butterbeer. “If you can’t figure that out with your giant Ravenclaw brain, then I’m not telling you,” he says. “Think real hard about it and get back to me. Or, actually, don’t. I won’t give Minhyuk the satisfaction.”

Kihyun stares at Hyungwon for a moment, then decides that now isn’t the time to unpack all that. “Whatever,” he says, “Hand me another butterbeer.”

* * *

_ Notes exchanged between Im Changkyun and Lee Jooheon, Transfiguration _

hey jooheon is it true minhyuk tried to ask kihyun out

“tried” being the operative word here. he told him that if slytherin wins the quidditch cup then

ki has to go on a date with him

what the fuuuuuuuck

tell minhyuk that he’s a fuckin loser  and if he wants to ask his crush

out for real he needs to get his shit together

min’s convinced that slytherin will win  and that he’s as good as guaranteed a date

oh my god has he MET kihyun

does he realize what he’s DONE

considering that he’s been admiring him from afar for the past four years i’m going to give that a hard no

god does min understand that ki has been  demonic at practices

he’s making us meet three times  a week

lmao rip

YOU ARE NOT HELPING

_ At this point, note passing was suddenly interrupted by an extremely annoyed Professor McGonagall, and remaining records were Transfigured into moths _

* * *

The Slytherin vs. Gryffindor match takes place on a blustery day in early November. 

Kihyun arrives to the stands with a spyglass, a quill, and a notebook. Yoongi gives him an extremely pointed look, but mercifully doesn’t say anything.

It’s all for observing strategy, of course. Kihyun enchants the spyglass to hover in front of him as he holds down the pages of the notebook to prevent fluttering in the wind as he squints, watching the Slytherin team’s strategies and scribbling down steady lines of notes.

Almost against his will, his eye keeps getting dragged to watching Minhyuk. 

It’s only natural, he tells himself. Minhyuk’s the captain, he’s the one he should be keeping his eye on the most.

The thing is, Kihyun’s not sure  _ how _ he never properly noticed Minhyuk before. As he'd pointed out on that fateful day in the Great Hall, they have been playing against each other for years - Kihyun supposes that it can be chalked up to not caring much, one way or other, so long as Ravenclaw won the match against whoever it was that was playing. 

But Minhyuk is  _ good. _ Minhyuk’s bombastic personality transfers well into flying, and his boundless energy keeps the team moving where others might have lagged. Despite Kihyun’s msigivings about the choice of Minhyuk’s captainhood, the Slytherin team seems - peppier, almost, than last year. Like they were having  _ fun. _

And when Minhyuk flies uncomfortably close to the stands and has the audacity to make  _ direct eye contact _ with Kihyun, and even goes so far as to  _ wink, _ he definitely does not yelp and leave a inky black streak across the page of his otherwise impeccable handwriting.

In the end, Slytherin wipes the floor with Gryffindor. Kihyun scowls, makes a note of the score, and scribbles down a few notes of how many points they'll need to win the Cup before closing the notebook with a hard _snap._

* * *

After the match, are murmurings in Hogwarts’ halls that a new rivalry is afoot, that the Ravenclaw and Slytherin Captains have it out for each other.

Kihyun is especially annoyed to hear the fresh crop of spicier rumors that the two of them have been spending their time snogging in broom closets.

The Ravenclaw first years are quickly learning to clear out of the common room when Kihyun enters, and the Ravenclaw common room has not been this spotless in decades.

A week after the match, Minhyuk corners him on the way out of Transfiguration. “Ready to give up and go on a date with me yet?” he says brazenly, his grin cocky, confident, and eyes shining with glee. 

Kihyun gives him a dirty look and tries to maneuver around him, with little to no luck. “It’s the first match of the season,  _ Slytherin, _ ” he hisses, “Just you wait until the next match rolls around and we’ll see how cocky you’re feeling then.”

Minhyuk, to Kihyun’s annoyance, continues to block his way. “I was thinking Madame Pettifoot’s,” he says, not paying any attention to Kihyun’s rapidly darkening mood. “It’s a cheesy spot, but it makes for a memorable first date. Otherwise Three Broomsticks isn’t a bad choice - hey, where are you going?”

Kihyun, stewing, makes a beeline for the Owlery and lets the Ravenclaw team know that he’s adding another extra practice that week.

* * *

_ Notes passed between Im Changkyun and Lee Jooheon, Charms _

jooheon please get minhyuk under control  kihyun is going mad 

we had practice four days this week

you know just as well as i do that minhyuk cannot be controlled

why the HELL is he so determined

it’s ruining my life, jooheon

the boy has a crush, let him live

actually don’t, it’s way more fun to give him shit

also uhhhhhh should i tell the hufflepuff team that we’re gonna die at the next match

if the ravenclaw team doesn’t die first

he’s become a slave driver, jooheon

why did min have to set off the competitive streak

because minhyuk is an idiot

because minhyuk is an idiot

* * *

Although Ravenclaw wins against Hufflepuff within the first twenty minutes of the game, Slytherin continues to lead the score in the House Cup.

Kihyun, despite being elated at winning, scowls at this. His team, upon seeing his expression, quivers in fear.

* * *

It’s a blessing and a curse that, after the first two matches of the season, there’s a break of about two and a half months until the next one.

A curse, because Kihyun pushes the team to practice well into the cold months, until Flitwick himself pulls him aside after class and gives him a few mildly pointed reminders about the  _ health  _ and  _ morale _ of the team, and okay, Kihyun can take a hint.

(A hint in very specific circumstances, romantic ones notwithstanding. This is a fact that Kihyun will remain oblivious of for an unfortunate amount of time).

The blessing comes in that Kihyun can’t stay fixated on Quidditch when he’s been gently reprimanded against it, and gives his OWLs the proper attention and study that he should have been giving them since the beginning of the year. 

A problem arises, however, when he starts noticing the staring.

After the first Quidditch match, Kihyun has been trying to pay attention to any information-gathering ploys Minhyuk may be pulling during the in-betweens of Quidditch matches.

The problem, now, is that now Kihyun can’t  _ stop _ noticing him.

Kihyun catches him watching him during Potions from the corner of his eye. He sees Minhyuk strategically choosing a spot in the library where Kihyun is within eyesight. During meals, Kihyun occasionally looks up just in time to catch Minhyuk’s eye, before the other boy quickly rips his gaze away and pretends, badly, that he was in the middle of an animated conversation with someone else.

The strangest thing about it is that Kihyun doesn’t understand  _ why. _ There’s no way that Minhyuk can be learning anything valuable from the practice - Kihyun only does his Quidditch strategy planning in his dorm, safe from the prying eyes of other Houses. 

It’s ridiculous, and he expresses this sentiment at the next B&B session. 

“Call him off,” he says to Hyungwon bluntly in lieu of a greeting.

Hyungwon slowly looks up from the squirming chocolate frog he was regarding pinched between his fingers and gives Kihyun a deadpan stare. “No.”

Kihyun bristles. “Call him  _ off,  _ if not from the bet then from all the  _ staring,  _ it’s distracting.”

Hyungwon raises his eyebrows and opens his mouth wide, popping the chocolate frog into his mouth and chewing thoughtfully. “So you’ve noticed the staring,” he states, “Finally.”

“What do you mean, finally?” Kihyun frowns. “It’s only been going on since he started the stupid bet.” He glances around the room, and frowns deeper when he sees the other Prefects watching him incredulously. “Right?”

Hyungwon stays silent, watching him with an unreadable expression as he chews slowly on the chocolate frog. He swallows. He says, “You are, quite possibly, the dumbest Ravenclaw I’ve ever met.”

Kihyun starts in offense. “What is  _ that _ supposed to mean?”

“I’m on Hyungwon’s side with this one, actually,” Hoseok chimes in from the other table. He and Hyunwoo have taken to watching Hyungwon and Kihyun bicker about what has been dubbed “the Minhyuk problem” with far more investment than was probably necessary. “You’re seriously only just now noticing Minhyuk watching you?”

Kihyun blinks rapidly, frowning impossibly deeper. “I feel like I’m missing something here.”

There is a paradox in the realm of things, that says something about an ‘unstoppable force’ and an ‘immovable object’. Say, theoretically, that the unstoppable force is the realization that is attempting to make its way into Kihyun’s consciousness. And, theoretically, the immovable object of this metaphor is Yoo Kihyun’s blinding obliviousness.

“What.” Kihyun deadpans. 

Hyunwoo, Hoseok, and Hyungwon all exchange incredulous glances. For now, the immovable object is victorious.

* * *

It's a week before the Christmas holidays when Kihyun finds himself alone in the Quidditch pitch, shivering in the cold air and squinting in the dark.

He’s supposed to be at B&B, but he can’t quite find it in himself to face Hyungwon’s dry humor and tendency to throw  _ looks _ at the others whenever the conversation turned to the topic of Minhyuk. The others have taken to attempts of prying into Kihyun's brain, asking _why_ he dislikes Minhyuk so much and _why _it's so important that he wins the bet and other things he really doesn't want to think too hard about.

It’s far past curfew, and Kihyun really shouldn’t be out here, but he can’t quite find it in himself to care.

He huffs in the cold air, watching his breath fog, swirl, and dissipate into the stars. Then he takes off.

The wind whips at his hears, whistling and howling as his robes snap behind him as he speeds around, around, and around the pitch.  _ This _ is why he joined the Quidditch team, why he worked so hard, why he keeps doing it - for the freedom that comes with flying through the air.

Distantly, he thinks he hears a voice shouting out to him. He ignores it until he doesn’t.

Lee Minhyuk is standing on the pitch, an indistinct shape but his voice is unmistakable. Kihyun lets his breath hiss out his teeth and fog air in front of him and hovers, eyeing the waving shape below him.

Finally, he exhales one last sigh and tips his broom forward, gently, gently, until he’s swooping gracefully down to meet him.

Minhyuk flashes a big smile the instant Kihyun’s feet touch the turf. Kihyun responds with a scowl.

“I could turn you in for being out after curfew, you know,” Kihyun says pointedly as he strides towards Minhyuk, stopping directly in front of him.

He doesn’t look particularly worried. “Yeah, but you won’t.”

“And how do you know that?” Kihyun says tersely. He doesn’t mention that  _ he _ could get in trouble for being out here - that’s a fact that Minhyuk doesn’t need to know and he doesn’t intend to tell him.

“Because you could get in trouble for being out here, too,” Minhyuk says, his smile growing impossibly wider. Kihyun curses under his breath, then sighs.

“What are you doing out here, Minhyuk?”

He shrugs. “Same thing as you, looks like.”

“What, so you just randomly decided to go for a midnight fly the same time I did? Coincidentally?”

“What are you trying to imply here?” Minhyuk says, quirking an eyebrow.

“You’ve been  _ watching _ me,” Kihyun hisses, stepping closer and jabbing Minhyuk in the chest with his finger. “I’ve seen you standing near the doors after classes, staring at me during meals, watching me during Quidditch matches. If you think you’re going to get the drop on me, you have another thing coming.”

Minhyuk’s brows furrow and he looks down at the finger Kihyun still has jabbed into his chest, frowning. “I haven’t been doing anything different, though,” he says.

Kihyun blinks once, twice. “What?”

“I’ve always been doing that, ever since first year,” Minhyuk says, lifting his eyes to meet Kihyun’s with surprising sincerity. “Honestly. You seriously didn’t notice?”

Kihyun took a step back, regarding Minhyuk with confusion. Suddenly, the other Prefects' statements make much, much more sense. “But...why?” he asks, puzzled. “You didn’t have a reason to before. There wasn’t this stupid competition.”

“Do you really think that’s the only reason I was interested in you?” Minhyuk says softly.

Unstoppable force, immovable object. Kihyun shakes his head, trying to clear it. This conversation is not going the way he thought it would, and quite frankly he got the distinct sense that he was missing something important. He shoves his hands into his robes’ pockets and avoids Minhyuk’s eyes, grumbling, “Well, what other reason would there be?”

Minhyuk just stares, cocking his head to the side. Kihyun shifts awkwardly, until finally Minhyuk says, dodging the question entirely, “Want to practice a bit?”

Kihyun should say no. He should be pressing for answers. But he doesn’t.

They take off, breaking off towards opposite ends of the pitch with the Quaffle tucked under Kihyun's arm. He eyes Minhyuk, bringing to mind the various notes he's jotted in the margins of books, his strategy notebook, and across various class notes.

_ He tends to go for the angle that is least expected, probably choosing a direction at random to throw off the opponent. _

Suddenly, Minhyuk shoots off to the right, and Kihyun follows, chasing him before remembering that they're not on opposite sides, not right now. 

_ He stays in the thick of the action, but it's when he disappears off to the side that he's planning something _ _sneaky._

Kihyun tosses the Quaffle, aiming it downwards, where Minhyuk swoops and snags it, tossing it back within a moment's breath. Kihyun, not expecting this, nearly fumbles when he reaches out to catch it again, righting himself and glowering at the laughing Slytherin.

"Pay better attention, Ravenclaw!" Minhyuk whoops, flipping upside down and swooping above him before looping around and righting himself. "And stop thinking so hard!"

Kihyun scowls into the wind, but decides to take his advice against his better judgement. He swings his broom around and launches the Quaffle up into the air, and takes off after it, aware of Minhyuk speeding after him to the left. 

It takes a few minutes - adjusting, tossing, learning how he flies - but then they're flying in tandem, and Kihyun forgets that he even made notes in the first place because flying with Minhyuk is one of the easiest things he's ever done. There's an unspoken almost-partnership about it - Minhyuk feints to the left and Kihyun knows to aim the Quaffle down, Kihyun tips his broomstick just so and Minhyuk swoops up in time with him. 

And Kihyun is enjoying it, far more than he ever thought he would.

* * *

The next day, Minhyuk plops his books down next to Kihyun and loudly proclaims that he’s Kihyun’s new study buddy, and is immediately shushed by Madam Pince. Kihyun realizes belatedly that a small smile is growing across his face, and immediately shuts it down.

When Kihyun doesn't immediately shoo him away, Minhyuk seems to have taken it as open invitation to be friends - joining him as he studies in the library, claiming him as a partner in Potions, trying to shove dirt down the back of his robes during Herbology.

The strangest thing of all was that Kihyun couldn’t help but find himself  _ enjoying  _ it. It brings a whole new round of pointed questioning at B&B, but Kihyun waves his hand and passes it off as "observing the enemy for the upcoming Quidditch match."

Hyungwon has refrained from commenting, watching Kihyun with narrowed eyes. Kihyun tries not to think too hard about it.

And when the Christmas holidays roll around, he doesn't quite understand the small smile growing on his face when a volume of Quidditch strategies makes its way into his pile of presents with a note scrawled into the inner cover.

_ Slytherin will still win, of course, but here's this anyway. -M _

Kihyun grins, and wishes that he could see Minhyuk's face when he sees the exact same book in his own pile of gifts.

* * *

The day of the Ravenclaw vs. Slytherin match dawns bright and and sunny, despite the February chill.

Kihyun takes an extra moment during breakfast to flick Minhyuk lightly on the head and say, as he passes by, "I hope you're ready to lose." 

Minhyuk takes an extra moment to flash him a blinding smile and reply, "The feeling is mutual."

Despite their growing friendliness, Kihyun has not forgotten about the bet, and the Ravenclaw Quidditch team certainly hadn't when the weather had warmed just enough for Kihyun to justify his rigorous practice routine again. 

He wasn't sure what the _point_ of the friendliness was - if it was supposed to be a ploy to make Kihyun less on-guard about the bet, to soften him up, or some other nefarious plot - but Kihyun is determined to ensure that his and Minhyuk's...._friendship?_ doesn't interfere with his determination to win.

Kihyun refuses to admit to himself the possibility that the friendliness may be just that - a desire to be friends. He also refuses to admit that he genuinely enjoys his time spent with Minhyuk.

Unstoppable force, immovable object.

When he flies into the air, he watches Minhyuk out of the corner of his eye, looking for the telltale signs he'd come to know as easily as breathing.

_They'd had many more nights out on the pitch, not that Kihyun would ever admit it. If Hyungwon knows, he doesn't mention it at B&B, and Kihyun is grateful for that small mercy._

When Minhyuk ducks to the side, Kihyun moves too, before he suddenly remembers that they aren't a team right now, they're playing against each other.

He grits his teeth and forcefully reorients his mind, his thinking, before diving towards the Quaffle.

* * *

Slytherin wins, but only barely.

Kihyun had not held back, using his knowledge of Slytherin's captain just as ruthlessly as Minhyuk used his knowledge of Kihyun. It devolved into mind games far too quickly, with neither giving up their determination creating a stalemate that left the other Chasers to ultimately do the heavy lifting of scoring.

Ravenclaw spent most of the match in the lead, until the flash of gold that was the Snitch appeared in the Slytherin Seeker's hand and the stands went absolutely wild.

Kihyun is scowling heavily when he finally touches down on the field, and very deliberately avoids Minhyuk's enthusiastic waving until he's right in his face.

"So," Minhyuk says smiling his thousand-watt smile that Kihyun refuses to admit he likes, "Tell me, are you really so set against Madame Puttifoot's as a first date? Because I really do think-"

"This isn't over," Kihyun snaps, jabbing a finger at him. "There's still three matches left, and Ravenclaw _will_ take the Cup, mark my words."

Minhyuk recoils a little opening and closing his mouth as he stares at the finger Kihyun still has jabbed at his chest, before his face morphs into an expression of _hurt._ "Is it really that bad?" he says accusingly, jabbing his own finger at Kihyun.

He takes a step back, taken off guard. "What-"

"Going on a date with me!" Minhyuk says, his voice rising. "Is it really such a horrible idea that you'll fight tooth an nail to make sure that it never happens? I thought we were finally - I thought we were _getting somewhere_ and maybe something could _work_ and-"

Kihyun feels himself rapidly losing control of this conversation. "Wait, wait, being friends was, you wanted to get me to-"

"Yes! No! I don't know-"

"You just wanted to beat me and win the-?" Kihyun starts, but Minhyuk throws his hands up in the air and lets out a strangled scream.

_"Not everything is about the stupid competition, I just like you!"_

Kihyun freezes, mouth hanging open mid-retort. Minhyuk heaves one heavy breath, then lets out a slightly hysterical bark of laughter before turning and all but sprinting off the Quidditch pitch.

Unstoppable force. Immovable object.

Finally, after far too long, it moves.

* * *

Minhyuk stops hanging out with him in classes, stops plopping down next to him library and stretching his lanky limbs out to grin at Kihyun and ask what he's studying. Minhyuk stops poking him in the back of his head during Potions, stops shoving dirt down his robes in Herbology, stops shooting him bright smiles across the Transfiguration classroom and pointing at the textbook's illustration of a rat, mouthing _that's you._

Kihyun shouldn't miss it. But he does.

He doesn't know what to do about it.

"You're a colossal idiot." Hyungwon says simply to him. Kihyun downs a Butterbeer in response.

* * *

When Kihyun watches the Slytherin vs Hufflepuff match, and tries not to feel a pang in his heart when he sees Minhyuk's noticeable drop in energy, how the rest of the team is doggedly playing all the harder to make up for their captain's melancholy.

Slytherin still manages to win, and Kihyun automatically makes a note of how many points Ravenclaw will need at the final match of the season in order to take the House Cup. It's doable, for sure - he's eased up on the Ravenclaws' training schedule since the Ravenclaw/Slytherin match that he refuses to talk about, but the team is working together fantastically and he has no doubts in their ability to take the Cup.

He does, however, notice the dirty looks the Slytherin team tends to shoot him in between classes. 

* * *

"Minhyuk," Kihyun says, standing over the Slytherin table and holding his head high to hide his jittering nerves.

Minhyuk doesn't look up. "What do you want, Kihyun?"

"I never told you what would happen," Kihyun begins, then swallows before continuing. "If I win, I mean."

Minhyuk stills, then slowly raises his head up to look Kihyun in the eyes. "And?"

_And I'm sorry I was such an idiot, that it took me so long to figure it out, what you said on the Quidditch pitch has been haunting me._

"Ravenclaw won't lose." Kihyun says instead. He leaves before Minhyuk can answer.

* * *

Ravenclaw wins.

It’s close - Kihyun tries very hard not to think about anything from the past few days, weeks, months, and loses himself in the thrill of flight. He plays harder than he ever has - he wants to get it right, and it won't work if the bet doesn't swing in his favor.

When Jungkook, the Ravenclaw Seeker, whoops loudly enough for the entire team to hear and hoists his fist in the air, gold glinting off of the caught Snitch's feebly fluttering wings, Kihyun can't help but whoop along with him.

Kihyun tries to catch Minhyuk’s eye from where the team has him hoisted in the air, whooping and hollering, but Minhyuk is nowhere to be seen.

The House Cup is theirs, and so is the bet.

Minhyuk’s absence leaves something gaping in Kihyun’s chest, even with the whoops and hollers of the team around him, the way Yoongi slaps him on the back and yells congratulations in his ear, seeing how Changkyun all but leaps at Jooheon in glee. 

He’s supposed to be there, but with how much of a magnificent dumbass he’s been, Kihyun can’t blame him for not wanting to see him. He understands it now.

He never told Minhyuk what his end of the bargain was going to be, but that didn't matter. It was time to put it into action.

* * *

It’s 4:53, Saturday, and Kihyun can’t quite seem to stop fidgeting. 

He’s wearing his best robes, and even went through the trouble of styling his hair - and yet, the nerves are still there, crawling under his skin.

_ (It’s 7:04, the day after the Quidditch final, and Kihyun should have a pounding hangover just like the rest of the Ravenclaws. But he doesn’t.) _

All around him, students are drifting down from the castle, through the gates, towards Hogsmeade. It’s a mere week from the OWLs, and approximately half of the school’s fifth year population is in the library right now, cramming as much information as they can into their frazzled and jumbled brains. The other half are making their way towards Hogsmeade, figuring that one last bout of fun would do them good.

Kihyun is in neither of these groups. He’s craning his neck, looking for a familiar shock of blond hair and green robes.

_ (The Slytherin table looks wary as Kihyun approaches, trying and failing to not glance over at the boy he’s making his way towards. Kihyun’s hand is sweating as he clutches a scrap of parchment in his hand, making it warp from the dampness. But he keeps going.) _

Finally, he sees him. Head held high, making his way down the lawn, hands in his pockets and trying so hard to look casual that instead he looks as though he’s got a particularly bad bout of constipation. 

“Took you long enough,” Kihyun says when Minhyuk arrives.

Minhyuk shoots him a small, guarded smile. “Yeah, well. A bet’s a bet.”

Kihyun feels a small lurch, and swallows it to smile instead. “Come on. I’ve got some plans for today.”

_ (In the end, he doesn’t even do anything particularly dramatic. He just drops the note in front of Minhyuk, then turns and leaves. If he walks faster than is technically necessary, that’s neither here nor there. _

_ What he doesn’t see is how the note almost falls directly into Minhyuk’s porridge, until he snatches it out of the way. He doesn’t see how Minhyuk’s brow furrows when he unfolds it and reads it, once, twice, three times. He doesn’t see how Minhyuk raises his eyes and watches him disappear from the Great Hall, and how his eyes stay on the spot where he disappeared long enough that Hyungwon finally shakes him to snap him out of it. _

_ The note doesn’t even say anything dramatic. It simply reads, “Hogsmeade. Saturday. Meet me at the gate at 5pm. Don’t be late.) _

Kihyun has a plan, and he knows he has a plan. But he keeps flubbing it.

In his dramatic, romantic ideals, he brings Minhyuk to Madame Pettifoot’s and says something dashing, perhaps one of the various lines he’d scratched into the corners of his Transfiguration notes.

  * __I may have won the bet, but you won my heart.__
  * _Do you block Quaffles? Because I think you’re a Keeper _

The second one was scratched out immediately, because Minhyuk is a Chaser and it’s less funny that way. 

He never says any of them, though. And when they approach Madame Pettifoot’s, Kihyun takes one look at the pink decor and the couples inside and seizes Minhyuk’s arm and drags him away, babbling something incoherent about a bookstore he wants to check out. When they reach the bookstore in question, Kihyun mumbles something and disappears among the stacks, taking a moment to curse vehemently at himself to  _ get his shit together. _

Minhyuk finds him ten minutes later, looking bored, which was also definitely a cover for looking suspicious. “Did you find what you were looking for?” he asks, raising his eyebrows at the book Kihyun had seized off the shelves on his approach. 

Kihyun glances down at the cover - oh, god,  _ 17 Ways to Brew Potent Love Potions _ , of course - and promptly shoves it back on the shelf. “No, but that’s fine,” he says awkwardly. “We can go somewhere else, if you want.”

Minhyuk raises his eyebrows and says, a little cheekily, “Fancy you, being the awkward one now.”

“What is that supposed to-” Kihyun starts heatedly, but stops when Minhyuk starts laughing, really laughing, and the forced casualness has melted off his face and he’s  _ shining _ like the sun, and, suddenly, Kihyun realizes that it’s about damn time he gave up on the act of not knowing what was going on and  _ do something. _

So Kihyun sits on a rickety stool and points Minhyuk to a pile of books and says, instead, “Sit down, please.”

Minhyuk’s chuckles take a moment to die out, but he does as Kihyun asks.

“It has come to my attention,” Kihyun begins, “That I have been a colossal idiot.”

Minhyuk grins and kicks his feet up to rest on the shelves. Kihyun twitches and swallows down a reprimand about getting dirt on the books. “You could say that,” Minhyuk says, “You won the bet, though. So here I am. Do your worst.”

Well. Here goes nothing. “You like me.”

Minhyuk, somehow, manages to freeze and nearly fall off of the stack of books at the same time. “I - uh, I mean -”

“You like me, and your idea of trying to get me to date you was to make that stupid bet.”

Minhyuk rights himself, finally, and swallows, tugging on the side of his collar. “Haha, what a dumb idea, right? It didn’t really get me anywhere, did it, we lost, you won, haha, you were right, Ravenclaw won’t lose and all that, all the staring and, uh, strategizing, you know-”

_ “Minhyuk,”  _ Kihyun says sharply, interrupting his rambling. He notes that Minhyuk’s neck has started turning alarmingly pink. “I’m not finished.”

Minhyuk opens and closes his mouth mutely a few times before finally nodding at Kihyun to continue.

So he does. “As stupid as the original idea was - don’t you say a word, you know it was stupid - it did have something of the intended effect. It got me to pay attention to you, for one. It could have been more gracefully done than setting off my competitive streak, of course, but that much worked. It also worked in that it made me realize you weren’t actually as terrible as I thought you were. No, don’t protest, I’m not finished,” Kihyun says, pointing accusingly at Minhyuk’s half-formed protest.

“And, as I said, I was a colossal idiot. I am the dumbest Ravenclaw alive, and I’m only saying this now because there are no witnesses besides you and nobody will ever believe you-”

Minhyuk, who had looked delighted at Kihyun’s admission, lets his face fall into betrayal. “You sick son of a bitch.”

“And I didn’t figure out what was going on until, quite literally, the Slytherin and Hufflepuff match. Yes, it took me that long, don’t judge me.” Kihyun pauses, then continues, “So first off, I’m sorry about that.”

Minhyuk huffs a small laugh, “Don’t be. I’m the idiot that thought the bet was a good idea in the first place.”

“But I’m the one who was too dense to figure out what it  _ meant, _ and even when I did know I would have rather pretended I didn’t than admit to myself that I liked you a lot more than I wanted to admit.”

Minhyuk’s brow furrows. “Are you saying-”

“I’m not  _ finished,” _ Kihyun interrupts. “But. Yeah. I’m saying that your stupid ploy worked and I - you - you’re not that bad. Actually, you’re kind of great. And this was supposed to be our first date, but honestly I kind of want to do this properly without the constraints of being forced to by a stupid bet, so. Um. Minhyuk-”

“Wait,” Minhyuk says, reaching out suddenly and putting his hand over Kihyun’s. 

Kihyun stares at his hand for a long, long moment (it’s  _ warm,  _ warmer than he imagined, and it’s making his heart feel funny and he really should say something) and croaks out, “Yes?”

“Let me,” Minhyuk says, “I, uh, want to do it. Properly.”

Kihyun doesn’t trust himself to speak, so he nods minutely.

“Right.” Minhyuk says, then clears his throat. His hand shifts, minutely, and now he’s  _ holding _ Kihyun’s hand. “Yoo Kihyun, dumbest Ravenclaw alive, will you go on a date with me?”

Huffing a small laugh, Kihyun allows a wide smile to break out across his face. “Lee Minhyuk, dumbest Slytherin alive, I’d be delighted to.”

For a long moment, they just stare at each other, matching dopey grins on their faces. Then Minhyuk says, “So Madame Pettifoot’s-”

“Absolutely not, fuck you.”

Some things never change. But, thankfully, many things do.


End file.
